Last week we celebrated Independence Day, which is also commonly known as the Fourth of July. It’s a federal holiday commemorating America’s independence from the British empire that over the past 248 years has maintained a public display of pride and patriotism.
This past Sunday at church, we sang a heartfelt medley of patriotic songs that declared, “America, America, God shed his grace on thee,” “Glory, glory hallelujah, his truth is marching on” and “God bless the USA!” There were American flags at every entrance with beautiful decorations. Many wore red, white and blue to show their love and allegiance to this great nation.
Why is it great? It is indeed a land filled with some of the most breathtaking landscapes on the planet, but it’s the hard-working, courageous and God-fearing people who love and obey his truth that makes living here a privilege and honor.
July Fourth is significant because it is the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress, a governing body of delegates from the 13 original American colonies. The document officially declared the United States of America’s independence from British rule. It came nearly a month after Virginia Delegate Richard Henry Lee proposed for the colonies to seek independence. The Declaration of Independence we know and love was largely written by Thomas Jefferson, while other members of Congress suggested edits and finally approved one of the most important documents in our history.
The American Revolution was a war for independence, a conflict of self-defense fought by families and neighbors on American farms against a fierce enemy coming from an ocean away. It affected millions from Vermont’s Green Mountains to the swamps of South Carolina, from Indian Country to the Alaska Peninsula. In defeating the British Empire and giving birth to a new nation, the American Revolution made a huge impact on the world. Thirteen colonies on the Atlantic Coast were victorious from being controlled by a constitutional monarchy. We rightfully celebrate how they won our independence and established a republic that still endures.